PARRSBORO – Local youngsters got a taste of skills that would have been second nature to their ancestors at Fundy Geological Museum on Wednesday afternoon, as part of a busy week of March Break programming.

Parrsborough Shore Historical Society volunteers Colin Curleigh and Ed Gilbert spent a couple of hours showing the children a variety of knot-tying techniques, along with a few local legends of the sea.

Both Curleigh and Gilbert are retired navy veterans, no strangers to tying knots. But this occasion was aimed to touch on the basics and enjoy trying them.

“It’s just to have some fun and learn about knots,” said Curleigh. “It’s not just a matter of tying a piece of string. They each have a function, and there’s a certain beauty to the knots too.”

The reef knot, figure eight, sheepshank and bowline were just a few of the different knots being worked on.

“We’ve had pretty good luck teaching the basic knots,” said Gilbert. “They catch on fast.”

While Curleigh took the lead in knot instruction, Gilbert took the lead in storytelling. One local legend he talked to the children about was the story of the Maiden’s Cave, and he had a few more in store before the afternoon wrapped up.

This was just one of many events taking place at the museum this week as part of its March Break programming, which kicked off with the annual “Night at the Museum” sleepover on March 9-10. Volunteers from the Age of Sail museum offered a workshop on building a mini lumber raft on Monday, while the Parrsboro recreation department led a scavenger hunt on Tuesday.

Thursday will see representatives from the Fundy Ocean Research Centre on Energy (FORCE) offer interactive activities relating to tidal power, while Friday will see an improve theatre workshop led by Ship’s Company Theatre.